Turning Left
by Spellshadow98
Summary: A typical HP dystopian fanfic in which Voldemort defeats the Golden trio and the Order. Atypical events happened in the past: Snape never betrayed Voldemort and Lily Potter/Evans is alive. Severus feigned loyalty to Dumbledore, now his true colors are shown. Especially when he gives his seventeen year-old niece up to Voldemort. This story is on hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

So, this first chapter will be just an author's note.

I wanted to see what would happen to Silwen if her uncle was very very strict and gave out physical punishments to her when she failed to comply to his exact wishes. If she and Draco never started going out, and Draco never stopped bullying her...

I also wanted to see what would happen if Voldemort won the final battle, and the entire Malfoy family never wavered in their loyalties (even when he was defeated for 13 years). This story is an AU. And I don't know what I'm going to do with it. I don't know when I'm going to update, or if I ever will, so we shall see where this wind blows!


	2. Death's Gate

"So, Severus, you have brought her? Excellent," said Voldemort smoothly, standing in front of his new home. If it could be called a home.

The mansion loomed on top of a hill, made from obsidian stone polished until it shone even under a new moon—like tonight, glowing a dark and eerie viridian—protection spells, no doubt. Windows enchanted to look black on the outside, systematically placed on the house, in rows of three, and colomns of four on each wall's side, glinted in the faint starlight. All around the abode was a trench, drowned in water and grindylows for the unfortunate visitor who fell off the bone-white and bone-thin bridge. The tall turrets attached to the mansion's four corners also had been cut from obsidian, and like the rest of the abode the tiles for the roof were made out of crimson clay, enchanted, Silwen suspected, as well with indestructibility to say the least. Even in the moonless night, from the glaring Lumos charms, the clay looked like dried blood on top of a black altar.

"Enter, everyone" he went on, opening the enormus doors. The doors, however, were not made out of stone but a dark ebony wood, covered in elegant carvings of snakes and dementors, the knockers shaped into small Dark Marks. Gently, Voldemort drew a straight line in front of the doors. Silently, they opened, allowing the small troupe entrance into the the hall.

Following Voldemort through his headquarters, Silwen stared at the walls covered in pictures of tortured muggles, newspaper clippings mourning the murder of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, and every single member of the Order of the Pheonix. An order that her uncle had single-handedly turned in to Voldemort by setting a clever trap—using her as bait. Silwen shuddered at the memory and continued walking on the jade and silver marble-tiled floor. Slytherin colors. The house she had been sorted into only because she begged the hat to put her there. Had she not been in Slytherin, Uncle Snape's anger would have been...unthinkable. To this day, she praised the shriveled, burned Sorting Hat for taking pity on her and letting her go into Slytherin.

At the end of the shadowed corridor stood an imposing statue glowering at them from his pedestal as they passed by. Salazar Slytherin, decked in emerald robes and hat trimmed with twenty-four carat gold, a snake slithering around him like a sinister black scarf. The snake seemed to hiss at her when she passed by. Quickening her pace, Silwen inadvertently bumped into the man in front of her. Lucius Malfoy. 4th in command after Voldemort himself, Severus Snape, and Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Severus, I thought you taught the girl manners," said Lucius in an arrogant drawl, turning to face her, his thin white eyebrows raising above his icy blue eyes. "Do you need another lesson, Silwen. Well, you will be getting lessons soon enough." he leered, smirking before turning again and striding quickly to catch up with his master, her uncle and Voldemort's Second.

Her uncle merely turned around and glared at her, the threat clear in his beedy, black eyes. She hurried to catch up before Draco prodded her in the back with his sharp, pointed wand, the top carved into a thin blade. For a moment, she wondered how the wand survived being carved like that, then and again, it was Ollivander who preformed the task of turning Draco's wand into a double weapon. Poor Mr. Ollivander was dead now, decaying wandless in an unnamed grave.

"Watch your step, Snape or I'll watch it for you," whispered Draco in her ear. Without looking behind her, she knew he, like his father, was smirking at her. A hand reached out from behind and gave her a little push to go faster when she stiffened at his words.

She yelped softly and scurried ahead, distancing herself from Draco as much and as long as possible—which turned out to last only a few seconds before Draco was behind her once again. Shuddering, she fell into step and focused on preforming Occlumency for the rest of the wordless walk to the Meeting Room.


	3. Truth and Trickery

Random thought: Draco currently has Silwen's wand in his possession. She will get it back soon, I promise!

Here's the source for the speech given below.

I want to be perfectly clear from the near-beginning: my stories have never, do never, and will never contain any smut or profanity of any kind, explicit or implicit. EVER. If you want that, you might want to find a different story.

www. auburn. edu / ~allenkc / ulcm / wed04 .html

* * *

Voldemort's slave, Lily Potter held the Meeting Room doors opening, curtsying for all the men who walked past. Silwen glanced at Lily, and saw her face in Lily's eyes; every inch had fear written on it. Lily's face however, was strong and bold, despite having been Voldemort's slave for the past year. The day Harry Potter died, Lily was kidnapped and forced into servitude with chains of enchantments forbidding her escape. Trying to be hopeful, she smiled genuinely at Silwen, but Silwen was much too frightened to do anything but nod and follow Lucius into the room._ Lily is so brave,_ thought Silwen._ How can she smile so brightly like that?_

She let the thought go as she watched the Death Eaters and Voldemort formed a small circle around the room's center. Knowing what to do, she stumbled into the middle, facing Voldemort on her knees.

"Today, on April 22nd 1999, we welcome Silwen Snape into our ranks," began Voldemort taking a step toward her. "She has been a dedicated servant, allowing us to exterminate the Order of the Phoenix, and aiding Severus in deceiving Dumbledore of his loyalty." The Malfoy men and Bellatrix chuckled, knowing perfectly well, Silwen had actually believed her uncle had been on the opposite side. Blinking back a tear, she looked at her uncle. Ever since that night, the night she inadvertently led the Order to their deaths, she had hardly spoken to him, too saddened and afraid of the answers to her questions. Looking at him now was like looking at a stranger with a familiar face. Inside, Silwen admitted to herself that she missed her uncle more deeply than she'd ever be able to express. Uncle Snape was the only living family she had left.

The laughs turned into silent smirks as Voldemort went on with his speech. "And now, on her eighteenth birthday, I have decided to give her her Dark Mark." Pointing his wand at her he said, "I require your arm, Silwen."

_No_, she thought. _I-I can't. I-I just can't. _A tear escaped from her eye, making the Death Eaters laugh again. "My Lord, I have decided to decline your offer," she said softly, looking at the floor, hiding both of her arms behind her back. As if that would prevent anything. But she just couldn't let them do it. She didn't need to be branded. The brand was only to mock her by reminding her that she would always be tyrannized, never free. One year ago, Severus had made her swear loyalty to Voldemort. When Silwen promised something, it was almost impossible for her to break it. But she never promised to follow his every command. This branding, this she could at least try to fight.

His red, slit-like eyes narrowing, Voldemort stared at Silwen for a moment before saying, "You refuse?" When Silwen nodded, Voldemort raised his wand and murmured, "_Crucio_!"

Scalding pain pierced every inch of her body, inside and out, like swords made of fire stabbing relentlessly all over her, despite her attempts to dodge them by rolling and writhing on the floor, screaming, "I won't! I won't! I won't! I won't!" over and over again until finally, Voldemort lifted the curse.

"Stop this idiocy, Miss Snape and hold out your arm," came his voice.

Whimpering on the ground, Silwen managed to shake her head. "Nonononononononono-"

"Silence!" ordered Voldemort, kicking her sharply in the small of her back, abruptly stopping her moan.

No one spoke; they waited for Voldemort. Turning his head, Voldemort looked at Severus Snape, his eyebrows raised, asking a non-verbal question and receiving a nod in response. He then looked at Draco who smiled as if Voldemort had given him fifty galleons.

"Very well, Miss Snape. You may have your wish," said Voldemort in a chilling tone that made Silwen jerk onto her knees in rapt attention.

"Draco, come forward and kneel beside Silwen," he continued, his eyes gleaming like the manor's outside walls. "Lucius, contain her if she proves to be resilient again."

Draco stepped forward and knelt down beside Silwen, gloating at her; he almost visibly watch the gears in her mind whirl, thinking at an astoundingly quick pace, trying to figure out what was going on. Her expression changed suddenly from thinking to one of horror. In bound, she was on her feet, trying to get to the doors behind her when Lucius said in a bored tone, "_Incarcerous_."

Slithering like snakes, cords exited his wand and wrapped themselves around Silwen's body, tripping her and sending her crashing onto the ground, much to Bellatrix's giggle. Striding over to her, Lucius grabbed her and dragged her to Draco, forcing her to her knees. He, knelt down on Silwen's left, holding onto her forearm to keep her upright. "Severus, would you like to hold her here and give her away?" he asked. To Silwen's surprise, he declined the offer and remained standing where he was, to Voldemort's right. A tear dropped from her eye, and was caught in the binding around her mouth and cheeks, her eyes imploring for him to intervene. He didn't.

Conjuring an onyx alter to stand between him and the two young adults, Voldemort gave yet another speech. "We are gathered together in my presence to witness the joining of Silwen Snape and Draco Malfoy in holy matrimony. This bond binds you together for as long as you live. The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is sanctified by I, Lord Voldemort.

"Into this union Silwen Snape and Draco Malfoy now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else for ever hold your peace." Chuckling at the lack of protests, Lucius took off the cords around Silwen's left arm. As if on cue, Draco grabbed her free hand and clenched tightly enough so that escape wasn't possible. Voldemort drew a knot around their joined hands with his wand and concluded his address. "I bind you together with magic, and by the power invested in me to be forever together." A bright green flash erupted around Draco and Silwen, the knot expanding and consuming Draco and his newly-wedded wife, uniting them together for the rest of her smiled and stood once the flash died down, shaking hands with an expressionless Severus, offering his congratulations to the couple.

Tears streamed down her face onto her lap after Lucius had released her from the curse, mutedly sobbing into her hands, lying on the floor again. "I h-hope y-you're h-happy, U-uncle," she cried.

"Draco," said Lucius, hugging his son, "Your mother would have been so proud."

"Pity she had to get herself killed when we destroyed the order," pouted Bellatrix also embracing her nephew.

"Thank you, my Lord," said Draco once Lucius and Bellatrix stepped back. Bowing to Voldemort, Draco said obsequiously, "I am honored to have been married by the greatest wizard the world has ever know."

Voldemort nodded, his eyes gleaming triumphantly, shaking Draco's, Lucius' and Severus' hands before sweeping out of the room. Trailing behind him, Bellatrix cackled, her laugh reverberating through the halls and into Silwen's ears, increasing her torment. "At least they've forgotten about me for now", she whispered to herself through her sobs.

The moment she said that, Lucius looked down at her. "She is quite pretty, Draco. I've never seen such ivory skin, ebony hair, or viridian eyes quite like that before. Your plan of forcing her into marriage to keep her under control has worked well. I am very pleased with you," he said, his eyes leering.

"Father, is your wedding gift in order?" asked Draco, bending down and reaching for Silwen who shrank away from his touch.

"Of course," replied Lucius smoothly. "Your honeymoon is waiting for you. I will see you when you return." Lucius swept out of the room, Severus stepping beside him and talking in a low voice to Lily who waited outside.

"Come, Silwen darling. I hope you love the location I chose for our honeymoon," whispered Draco, cradling a futilely struggling and crying Silwen in his arms.


	4. Predator and Pray

A/N: Hi! So, sorry about the small lapse! But this is a long-ish chapter, so I hope that makes up for it! Love you all!

* * *

With a crack, Draco and Silwen reappeared, Draco standing in front of an isolated lagoon. Beneath his was springy grass, that rebounded instantaneously as soon as he lifted his feet and started walking. The beauty of everything drew out Silwen's misery and fear, replacing it with wonder as she gazed out into the ocean. An old stone hut stood with a thatched straw roof on the grass, azure waves pulling in and out just fifty meters away from the home and in between the shallow turquoise water and house the grass led way to a sandy beach, soft and white decorated in glistening sea shells. In the air, the shrill caw of seagulls and pelicans filled the air, with sea turtles wading into the water. Salty wind blew her hair out of her face and she allowed herself to breath it in deeply. She had never been to a beach before.

"This is my family's private beach in the Carribean," boasted Draco, snapping her out of her reverie and back into Draco's arms. Stepping on a quaint stone path that started from dirt road behind them, he strode into the house, and simply stated his name to get the door open. Silwen wasn't surprised by the paradisaical location, nor by the voice-recognition spell placed on the cottage; the Malfoy's weath was said to make even the Black family (may they rest in peace) jealous. That was why Narcissa Black had married Lucius; wealth and prestige. With the combination of the Black fortune and the Malfoy's, Silwen wouldn't have been surprised if they had ten more vacation homes, if only bigger and more...pompous.

However, once they were inside, Silwen gasped in shock. It was bigger on the inside. White marble and black quartz tiles shaped in a circular pattern on the floor, a large staircase swept out in the entrance hall, two tall corridors on beneath it on either side, a high domed ceiling with a gleaming diamond chandelier hanging from it. Up the stairs was one large hallway perpendicular to the stairs, rooms with lavish swirls engraved on ebony doors decorating the corridor on both the right and left.

"Happy honeymoon, dearest," whispered Draco, bending his head down to whisper in her ear. In his arms, she stiffened, her tears stopped, and dried on her black traveling cloak, mixing with the salty mist that wafted in from the open windows. "Now that we are alone, what would you like to do?"

"Find an empty room and lock myself inside," she replied, struggling to escape his arms.

Sighing, Draco carefully set her on her feet and replied in his usual drawl, "As long as I'm in with you." He entwined his fingers through hers began to walk up the stairs and said, "Shall we then?"

Silwen blanched, standing stock-still and shook her head. "O-on second thought I-I'm slightly hungry. I-if you would...permit it, I shall make the two of u-us dinner."

Surprised, her husband smirked and nodded. I shall be waiting in the first room upstairs on the left...The kitchen is down the right hallway, first door after the sharp left turn. Don't be too long, Silwen."

Nodding, Silwen walked off to the kitchen, feeling Draco's eyes follow her until she turned the corner and entered the kitchen, bombarded with intermixing smells of eye-watering spices, freshly-cooked meats, simmering stews, and baking bread. As she had expected, the kitchen was vast, with five long, wide, wooden work tables in the center, and the sides bordered with polished green garnet counter tops, with three stoves in the corner. Above the tables hung a myriad of copper pots and pans, hundreds of herbs, spice bags and dried meat. All over the ground scurried a dozen house elves, chopping, cooking, boiling every sort of dish imaginable. A small elf saw her and ran over to her. "What can Bimbo get for you, Miss?" he babbled, looking at her with his hazel saucer-sized eyes alight with curiosity.

"Er," said Silwen hesitating, "Draco's favorite dish, a platter of sushi, a bottle of strong Elvish wine, two glasses, and -and a vase with flowers please." The elf bowed, and immediately began on her request. Another elf popped up in front of her shyly.

"Begging your pardon, Miss, but are you Master's son's new wife?" the elf asked, twiddling with its cloth covering.

"Y-yes," stammered Silwen, noticing the fear, bruises, and cuts all the elves supported. "The Malfoys aren't very kind to you, are they?" she whispered.

Fearfully, the elf squeaked, "No, no, Miss Silwen! We are in a very good place! A very very good place!"

Her eyes grew sad upon hearing the response echoed throughout the kitchen. Tyranny ruled these elves; they lived in fear of the Malfoys every single moment of their lives. "I-it's all right," she whispered. "I'm a prisoner here as well. The next question, please answer truthfully. D-do you wish to be free of this place?"

Pots clattered to the floor, knives dropped, and unattended soup started to burn as the elves stared at her. One elf with bright green eyes replied, "Dobby speaks for everyone. We want to be free!" The other elves nodded in unision, then gathered the fallen utensils, attended to the momentarily forgotten food.

"Here is your dinner, Miss. I shall carry it for you," said Bimbo, returning with her request. Quickly, she rustled through her robes, eventually taking out a small bottle with a dark liquid inside. Taking the bottle out of the elf's hands, she uncorked it and poured the stuff inside, shaking well.

"Bimbo, could you re-cork it for me, please and make it look like it hasn't been opened yet?"

Confused, Bimbo complied with a snap of his fingers and he took the bottle from her, carrying it once more.

Smiling faintly, Silwen said, "_Thank you_, Bimbo."

Together, they walked in silence up to the room Draco had specified. She shuddered once then pressed the silver handle down and opened the door. Garish green greeted her eyes; a canopy hanging over the bed, green blankets, green carpet, and even green-painted walls and ceiling made Silwen take a step back and get used to the different shades.

Bimbo ran to a small table made out of cherry wood standing in front of the bed and placed the food down on top and scurried out of the room again. Draco was lying on the bed, watching her walk inside and sit at the table, picking up the chopsticks that had been laid on the sushi platter. She began to eat, ignoring Draco, savoring the taste of soft sticky rice, fresh crab, crisp cucumbers, and snappy, juicy carrots all wrapped up in seaweed sprinkled in salt and soy sauce. The elves had given her twelve inch-thick rolls, just the perfect amount for her.

The bed rustled, informing Silwen that Draco had moved. Soft footsteps approached, dragging a chair behind them. With a muffled thud, the chair was placed to her left and Draco sat down, taking his dishes—a side of tender lamb, mushroom risotto, roasted asparagus, and a small appetizer of fresh hummus and steaming pita bread. Once he had his meal in front of him, he reached for both, the glasses and the wine, then poured the red liquid into the delicate crystal glasses. He offered Silwen a glass and she took it, careful not to touch his skin. Draco noticed and smiled pleasantly, but said nothing and began to eat. "The lam is too thick," he muttered, taking a sip of his wine.

Silwen watched him drink, eating another sushi, alert for any sign showing that he had noticed the wine wasn't quite right. However, Draco noticed nothing and continued eating. _He eats like a gentleman, flawless table manners, not spilling a drop or crumb. Why am I surprised by this?_ wondered Silwen, pausing to watch his long smooth fingers slice elegantly through an asparagus.

"Do you want to try?" he asked holding out an asparagus on his fork, swallowing, his eyes hardening when he saw her shake her head. "So, Sil, we have a few matters to discuss," he said taking another tiny drink of wine. If he continued like that, it would take at least an hour before the potion had any effect. Fine. She'd just have to keep him talking. _Only_ talking.

"What matters?" she replied, eating a fourth sushi, closing her eyes in momentary bliss and smiling at the melange of different tastes in her mouth.

"We need to talk about you, about the rules here, and about our marriage bond," answered Draco, reaching for her hand. Instinctively, she took her resting hand off the table and looked at him, her eyes tinged with fear. "What do you want to talk about first?"

"Let's simply go in the order you spoke the topics in."

"All right," said Draco agreeably, drinking again from his cup a little more deeply than before. So as not to cause suspicion, she drank from hers, carefully timing when to put the glass down. "I have never heard your full story, Sil. How did you come to be so truthful?"

She looked up at him, hate filling her eyes. She knew he knew that she hated being asked questions. Coldly, she replied, "I fell into a large cauldron of Veritaserum when was three years old. Ever since then, I've had trouble lying and breaking promises."

Understanding dawned on Draco's eyes, and he asked another question. "But I've seen you lie before. How do you manage that?"

Silwen's fingers clenched her chopsticks angrily in her fingertips until they snapped into splinters. "Occlumency. It can counteract the effects of Veritaserum," she replied, pinching another sushi and putting it in her mouth. "Or, if what I believe isn't correct, then I lie. I say only what I perceive to be the right answer."

Draco exhaled, his eyes proud, finally having figured her out. "I see. ... You aren't lying to me right now are you?"

Standing up, her sushi having lost its appeal, she turned and went over to the doors, tracing the designs with her fingers. "No, Draco," she said simply, ignoring him.

Popping one of her sushi in his mouth, he chewed it experimentally, tried its taste and spat it back out, disgusted. "How can you eat sushi?" he asked scathingly, approaching her.

"I like sushi," she replied softly, evading him by returning to the table, reaching for his glass to take a sip. Soft white fingers clasped themselves around hers and the glass.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice in her ear. From behind, Silwen could feel the heat of his body and squirmed out of his grasp, letting go of the glass.

"Irritating you," she said, her eyes hard, watching him take a large sip of wine. Soon. Soon. She hoped. "Next topic, Draco, house rules."

"Yes, one, do not talk to the House Elves unless you are giving them an order," he said, holding up a finger and taking a large step towards her, "Two, you are not to help them," another finger rose and he came nearer, "Three, you will do what I tell you to do without questioning. Can you promise me those three things?" he took one last step and stopped, inches away from her, holding up three thin, unblemished fingers. "Please?" he breathed bending down seven inches or so to be at her level.

Silwen went back to the table, took hold of her glass and his, took a small drink of hers, and poured more wine into her husband's glass, then setting the bottle back on the table, her hands shaking visibly. "Perhaps. I'll think about them. Tomorrow, I'll give you an answer."

His free hand lashed out at her hand holding her own glass and grabbed her wrist. Her hand dropped the glass and it crashed onto the floor, the wine bleeding into the green carpet. He twisted her arm up and around her, causing her body to press against his torso. "I'd like an answer now," he said cordially, setting his glass down and wrapping his other arm around her waist while still holding her other arm in a painfully twisted position.

"I-I gave you answer. It just wasn't o-one you wanted. Let-Let me go," she said, attempting to be forceful.

Draco chuckled, Silwen stiffening at the gentle rumble of his chest. "I'll let you go when you promise, little wife," he whispered in her ear, enjoying her fear. "So if that means I won't let you go till tomorrow, I will not mind at all."

"I promise," came a faint whisper, catching Draco by surprise, making him loosen his grip and letting Silwen escape.

"I-I promise to not talk to the house elves unless I'm ordering th-them around. I pro-promise not to help them with their duties. I...promise to do whatever you say without questioning you," she said, curled up on the ground, her knees in her chest, her hands wound around them.

Looking at her, Draco smirked and walked over to her, got to his knees and started crawling towards her, as he thought, Silwen scuttled backwards. He started crawling to the right, then to the left, watching her flee. "We have one last topic to talk about before we retire," he snarled softly, shifting his weight from hands to feet like a panther gracefully stalking its meal. He took several more steps, herding her until she was caught in the corner, just like he wanted her.

"Our...our bond. What about it?" she murmured, looking at him in petrified terror, seeing the predatory grace and gleam in his eyes.

"While you were getting dinner, my father sent me a letter." Draco paused in his four-limbed gait and sat cross-legged, a foot away. From his chest pocket he drew an elegant letter from it and began to read. "'Draco. Upon further inquisition of the Dark Lord, I have been made aware that the bond between you and your wife is more than a simple binding spell. Your hearts are now little more than one; you die, she dies, she dies you die. She pains, you pain and vice versa. It also acts as a physical limit to how far away from each other you can be. I have sent a broomstick with a distance determiner for you to see how far you can be separated.

Your loving father,

Lucius."'

Finishing the note, Draco stood up and walked over to the bed, lifted up the evergreen hovering an inch above ground, and brought out a broom stick. "Would you like to fly or shall I?" he asked, returning to his previous position.

"Go ahead," Silwen answered, resting her head on the walls behind her. Covered in velvet, the walls were quite comfortable.

"I will be back soon," promised Draco, mounting the broom, charming the window to open, and flying through it. As Draco flew farther away, a curious tugging sensation grew inside her, like her heart had been caught by a fishing line and now the pole was tugging her heart out. A minute passed and Silwen gasped suddenly, physically hurting from the tug. Moments later, the pain receded. Draco must be returning.

Quickly, she rose and grabbed on the bottle. Looking inside, she was satisfied to see it half-empty. Her eyes rose to the clock standing on the bed's left side and noticed the hour hand had moved from the ten to in-between the ten and the eleven. "But we've discussed everything now. And I-I can't stall for half an hour," she croaked to herself.

Her uncle had given her wand to Draco. Right now, it lay in his pocket. If she could get it out, then she could stupefy him till the potion took effect. However, if she was to reach into his pocket, he would have to be very close to her. Shuddering at the thought, Silwen retreated back to the corner and sank to the ground, clutching her knees to her chest again. "I'll have to do it."

A wind rushed in, blowing Draco inside, his blond hair wind-blown, cheeks red from the cold storm outside. "Two miles radius," he stated, stepping off the broom and approaching her, his feet sliding soundlessly across the floor. "But right now, two inches is two miles." Silwen let him come closer, let him sit beside her and slip his hand around her waist, pinning her against his side. Subtly, her fingers reached into his robes while his free hand played with a lock of her hair, his face leaning in and breathing in her scent.

At last, her fingers wrapped around something skinny and wooden. Draco's lips pressed against her neck as she drew it out and non-verbally cast with exceptional ease, "_Stupefy_!" To her satisfaction, her husband was thrown away from her, all the way to the opposite wall, three yards away. She scrambled to her feet and raced out of the room, asking a passing house elf where the nearest door leading outside was.

"Down the stairs and out the main door, Mistress," replied the frightened elf.

Silwen raced down the stairs and grabbed the door handles, yanking hard. They wouldn't budge. She yanked harder still. No effect. Pointing her wand at herself, she cast two silent spells, "_Dissilusio_!" and, "_Silencio_!" As quietly as she could, she moved away from the door, to the center of the room, directly under the chandelier. That way, she would have no shadow for Draco to see.

From upstairs, Silwen heard a loud curse and creaking floorboards after fifteen minutes of silence. A door banged open and Draco appeared at the top of the stairs, the wine bottle swinging in his hand. Slowly he drawled, "Silwen, where are you?"

"I'm here," she replied inaudibly.

"Clever Sil, making yourself silent and invisible. But I can still find you. I'll give you one chance to show yourself. One chance and I promise to...wait a little while."

Using Lililimency, Silwen detected the lie almost instantly. He wouldn't wait. No matter what he said. Once Draco realized that his mind was being probed, he counter-attacked, meeting only memories of their wedding. In frustration, the threw the bottle over the banister, watching it crash and shatter on the floor. Not a drop of wine spilled out. He must have drank the rest. She breathed a deep sigh of relief. It really wouldn't be long now. Little more than a minute, if that even.

Indeed, as Draco stepped down the steps, his eyes began to close. Silwen stood, lifting her charms, watching him fall asleep from the Sleeping Draught she had slipped in the wine. "You are going to pay for that," he said, his eyes narrowing in anger as he stumbled sleepily further down. She smiled in response, and exhaled deeply when his limbs collapsed-Draco completely knocked-out.

"Please, find him a suitable bed, and put him in it," she said to a second elf.

First victory, hers. Silwen one, Draco null. Smiling, she wondered how long she could keep it like that, walking back up the stairs, into the only non-green room with silver walls, bedspread, and floor. Her feet led her to her bed and she fell upon it, falling asleep and into dreams within the next five minutes, smiling faintly all through the night.


	5. Shark and Minnow

The morning dawned on Silwen, waking her with a gentle light peeking through the silver curtains and onto the black quilt. Rising to her feet, she stood and parted the drapes, gazing at the breathtaking sea. Desire taking over her body, she grabbed her wand, scampered out of the room, tore through the hallway, stumbled down the sleek stairs, and skipped out the door in a matter of moments, not caring if she made a ruckus or not. Draco's indulgence of wine mixed with a simple Sleeping Draught the previous night ensured several more hours of privacy.

On the manor's outside steps sat a pair of soft leather sandals. Curiously, she slipped them on and to her delight, they fit perfectly. Once sand met sandal, the sandals flew off in a rush and Silwen danced onto the beach, taking off her heavy black robes and wearing nothing but a thin black slip, a shade solid enough to keep her torso and upper legs from sight, even in the water. Tapping her wand on her head, Silwen cast a anti-sunburn spell on her skin, remembering the time when she forgot to do so and had been horribly burned, with her skin peeling off for weeks after. That done, she dug her feet in the sand and joyously trudged through the sun-warmed sand to the water. Her toes wiggled happily in the ocean, loving the soft sand particles rubbing against her feet and in between her toes as she waded into the deep turquoise waves, her fingers scooping up the pearly seafoam gathering on top of them. Before she started to swim, she stuck her wand securely in her bun on top of her hair-just in case anything happened.

A few months ago in June, her uncle had Lucie, her beloved House Elf, teach Silwen how to swim. And for the first time since, Silwen was extremely grateful; now, she could enjoy the lagoon to her heart's content, unafraid of drowning. Even though she was not a confidant swimmer, she knew her strokes, and it was a glorious feeling to swim and have the water rush past her, or to lie on the surface, looking at the cloudless azure sky. Peace descended like a large dove, encompassing her in its wings, keeping her safe from everything that had happened in the past day. Here, floating in the water amid rainbow fish, blue angelfish with wide unblinking eyes, black-white banded butterfly fish fluttering away from her tentative fingers. Most brilliant of all, a team of magical Eudittian turtles swam up munching on seaweed.

Dipping their heads gracefully in her direction, they allowed her to grab onto their shells and took her miles out to sea, way past the lagoon, deep underwater (after she had cast a Bubble Head charm and an anti-pressure spell) to see swordfish waving their noses like sabres, spearing little fish, and sharks. After an hour of gripping the shell, Silwen's fingers cramped, begging her to let go. Regretfully, yet full of promises to return the next morrow, she asked the Eudittians to return her to the small lagoon. Dipping their shells back into the water after sunbathing for a few minutes, they willingly complied and took her back, one helping her slide off its back by carefully angling itself steeper so to quicken the slide of its shell. They each waved a fin, she waved an arm, and swam away, out to the horizon.

For the next hour, Silwen spent the time exploring the coral on the lagoon's left side, teeming with clownfish, sea anemones sponges, hermit crabs in beautiful orange and red shells, taking heed to not touch the to the fire coral in bright vermilion red, and cadmium orange. Cerulean and magenta fish swam by, even small tangerine crabs scuttled on top of the coral, but they were protected from the reef's poison. Of course, she could easily concoct a remedy, but that would require her to hobble inside the manor and create it there. Which she was not going to do anytime soon. _Fire coral is an exceptional catalyst for Age potions,_ she thought. _I'll have to collect some later and send it to-never mind. Uncle wouldn't care._ Shyly, a small light protruded on the water's surface through a crack between two purple and yellow sponge-covered rocks, driving her self-pitying thoughts away. Curious, Silwen popped her head out of the water and looked for the light that had suddenly vanished, gasping in surprise. A baby _kelpie_ in the form of a seahorse swam in front of her, grinning as it reached out to pop her bubble. Instinctively, Silwen took her wand out of her hair and shot a stunning spell at it, swimming away quickly. Not quickly enough; its mother has spotted her from several meters off and was swimming terrifyingly quickly towards her to protect her child.

"What did Uncle say about kelpies?...He said they were only found in England, Scotland, and Ireland, so what is one doing here?" she babbled to herself, sending a non-verbal stunning jinx at the kelpie, gaining a bit more time to remember what to do about them. Just as the Kelpie recovered and reached Silwen to drag her down, Silwen remembered. The slimy skin jolted Silwen's memory in a flash. Pointing her wand at the creature, she shot a Placement charm on it, bridling the kelpie and rendering it docile enough to be pet, along with its child. However, Silwen had no idea how long the spell would last and decided to swim off, nearer to shore and lie in the water for the next few hours. Little did she realize then that kelpies would be the least of her worries that day.

"_Expelliarmus_! _Accio wand_!" came a voice from behind her.

Draco. She gave him a look of unadulterated terror and dove underwater, slicing her arms and legs through the water as rapidly as they could move, trying to ignore splashes from behind. The splashes grew louder and more often until a hand lashed out like a snake, curling constricting around her ankle, dragging her back to the air despite her desperate thrashing, and vain scratching. His other hand held a wand pointed calmly at her, sending thick black cords at her, binding her ankles and wrists. Still writhing in his grasp, she bent her legs in unison and pushed off Draco's chest, propelling herself a foot or two away from him, catching Draco evidently by surprise. Wriggling like an eel, she attempted evading his arms, but only a minute later, they had latched onto her again, his fingers clenching her forearms so that she almost felt his fingernails biting into her skin. Almost. Together they bobbed in the water.

"You _really_ aren't thinking of swimming off are you, Silwen?" he asked cordially, anger glinting subtly in his eyes.

"N-no," she whispered, terrified at the potential anger in that small glint, shuddering as he lifted a finger to stroke her face. Delicately, he cleared her face of hair then swam to where he could stand, keeping his arms around her.

"So why did you pour a Sleeping Draught in our wine?" Draco demanded softly, cupping her chin in his palm when she looked down.

"I-I was afraid of what would happen yesterday night," Silwen answered_. Of what could happen now or later tonight._

Releasing her hands from the cords, he pulled her into his chest, wrapping one arm around her back, the other cradling her head. He leaned his head on her neck and chuckled, amused at the blush that erupted across her cheeks. "Darling! Don't you worry about _that_. I promise you, that won't happen until you are comfortable around me!" A smile smeared itself across his lips as he felt her sigh in relief. She believed him. Perfect.

"Shh, it's all right to be scared," he murmured, his lips brushing against her hair. Drawing her nearer so she pressed against his chest a touch more, he carried Silwen to where she would be able to stand as well. Draco laughed when he saw that it took two more meters to get there with the low-rise slope. He dropped his arms around her, only holding her hand loosely in his, their fingers entwined. "How tall are you?" he said curiously.

"4 foot 9. Or if you don't understand that, 147 centimeters," she snapped, brusquely shaking his hand away and walking farther up the bank."

Draco let her go ahead, admiring her silhouette in her black slip. She turned around and looked for him, anticipating for him to be right behind her. When she spotted him several meters behind her, she stared for a moment then grimaced properly with her tongue sticking out of her mouth. She had stopped where the waves tickled her feet to stare back at him. Easy prey. Lazily raising his wand, Draco shot a Tripping jinx at her and smirked as she fell to the ground, reminding him of a raven dropping from the sky when hit by an arrow.

Splashing over to her, he sat down, his right hand forming a manacle around her wrist again and keeping her beside him.

"L-let m-me go. I-I'm getting cold," she muttered, her teeth chattering.

"You are _are_ cold," mused Draco, looking at her blueing lips. With a dramatic swish of his wand, he conjured a blanket, impervioused it, and wrapped it firmly around her shoulders.

Giving him a withering look, Silwen stood up clutching the blanket and kicked the water out of her path towards the house. _Interesting,_ thought Draco. _Perhaps she isn't so weak after all. Is that a spark of anger over a...blanket? Sil might be more entertaining than I gave her credit for. _Cracking a smile, Draco Apparated inside the house, greeting a drenched Silwen in front of the steps inside.


	6. Surprises

"Excuse me,_ husband_. I'd like to take a shower," snapped Silwen, irritatedly pushing past Draco and snatching her own hand to her chest before he could take it. "Don't even think about jinxing me, _Malfoy_." She headed up the stairs without looking back, gripping her wand in her fingers.

"Did you pick my pocket, darling?" asked Draco incredulously, his eyebrows arched high on his forehead, much like his father.

She nodded as she ascended the staircase, not even looking back.

"Would you like to have lunch with me once you are finished?" came Draco's voice just before she turned right.

"No."

"Please?"

Silwen shook her head, showering salty water all over the crimson velvet carpet, feeling Draco's eyes narrow as he watched the drops fall. "That carpet is a century old. Treat it with respect."

"So I shouldn't do this?" she said snidely, stomping like a willful child on the carpet under discussion and slamming the two-inch thick cherry wood bathroom door shut.

Massaging his temples, Draco strode into the parlor on the main floor and called for a House Elf.

"Sir? What c-can I d-do for you, sir?" asked a timid elf with large, flat ears trembling like they were going to fall off.

"Drink now, filthy creature!" demanded Draco, kicking it harshly. What was with Silwen? One moment she was trembling, too scared to even speak correctly. The next, she was stomping on his family's treasured Persian carpet!

Snatching the drink away when the elf when she returned, he took a gulp, carefully slamming the glass on a small Brazilian rosewood stand, careful so his drink did not spill over the rim.

"I-is there anything e-else I-I can do for you, Sir?" stammered the elf, looking down.

"Clean up the mess. If the carpet isn't perfect and the stains completely removed, you and the rest of the elves shall have no food for a week as well as several lashings," he spat, picking his glass up again and striding into the library, softly closing the doors and took a calming sip of sherry, even if it was only 11 o'clock, and looked took a breath, looking at his favorite room in the mansion.

The library was two stories high, with leaning bookshelves all around the cylindrical walls seemingly growing out of the floor until they crashed into the domed top. Movable ladders attached to themselves to the outer rims of the bookcases, freshly oiled and greased to move at lightning speed. Each shelf was crammed with books, books from 100 A.D. all the way to now, filled with history, romance, philosophy, blood lines and genealogy, directions for enchantments, spells, and potions. Thick, musty air hung silently in the room, suspending the small dust particles floating in it like minuscule angels in their own little heaven. Circling the ground on the bottom shelf rested his most beloved books, ones that talked of the Cruciatus Curse like it was a blessing, a miracle, ones that discusses potions with effects so severe that death would be a boon compared to what they did, ones that talked of Pure Blood dominance in not only the Wizarding World but over the entire earth_—_muggles included. Smiling, he walked across the room and bent down, taking one out of its place, entitled _Toujours Pur: Keeping Magic With Those who Deserve It_. Draco cradled it in his hands as he plopped elegantly in a plush, black leather armchair. Opening it, he let the words wash over him, helping him forget about the misdemeanors of his wife. However, he grew bored of the book and snapped it shut, rising to his feet once more and striding to the middle of the room.

There, a large, flat basin stood, emanating power into the rest of the room, made out of snow-white marble, flawlessly cut into the shape of a sphere standing on four small legs. Draco peered inside, inspecting what was transpiring in his household. The Looking Glass revealed to him every chamber of the mansion, every inch and corner with the almost utmost precision—small things like letters and cobwebs got blurred.

Upstairs in the corridor, several elves were scrubbing the carpet with vigorous care, in the kitchen other slaves were preparing the noon meal, other elves raced around the house, folding sheets, cleaning rooms, making beds, waxing the floors, and keeping the house in immaculate condition. In the Silver Room, Silwen was doning her over-robes she had worn consistently for two days, no matter the horribly ragged shape they were in. Draco stared. "Why would she do that?" he mused. And then he realized, "she has no other clothing. Poor little Silly, her uncle must give her nothing."

Clapping his hands authoratively to call an elf, he turned away from the sphere, tapping his fingers. "Get Silwen's body measurements then go to Madam Malkins and buy one robe of green and order ten more." He shoved a picture of Silwen at the petrified elf who took it with shaking fingers. "Give this to Madam so she can see what colors to use for the rest of the robes. Now get out of my sight," he said shoving the elf away from him viciously and went back to the Looking Glass, watching with an amused smirk.

* * *

Knock, knock, went small timid knuckles on the other side of Silwen's door. Curious, she opened the door, relieved to see an elf standing there.

"Sir wishes for me to take your measurements, Miss, and get you new robes," squeaked the elf.

Sighing, Silwen let the elf through. A present from Draco would make her indebted to him. But new robes, flashy, thick, _warm_...something she never had despite the monetary rewards Voldemort showered on her uncle. A new dress would be nothing short of a miracle for her. Standing there with an enchanted tape measure in her hand, the elf waited for Silwen to say something.

"Um, go on ahead," she said smiling timidly at the elf who stared at her, confused, and expanded the tape measure, and wrapped around her stomach, arms, neck, hips, chest, along her legs, arms, and entire body. For the whole time, Silwen stood stiller than a stone column while the elf recorded everything on a small bit of parchment, flitting around her like a huge, wingless fly. When the elf finished, Silwen unclenched her fingers, and walked over to her bed, knelt down and felt around until she stood up again, something in her hand. Slowly, she approached the elf.**_  
_**

Watching her, the elf held the small parchment in hand, standing as still as Silwen had been standing a minute before, eyeing the thing in Silwen's hand intently. "Please round up all of the elves and bring them into the kitchen. I will meet you and the others there." Tapping her wand on the black and limp piece of fabric in her hand, she duplicated it into thirty identical pieces and wrapped them up in her cloak. She then went over to the desk, grabbed an idle parchment and quill, scribbling something before stuffing it in the cloak and heading outside, down to the kitchens.

Opening the doors, she stepped inside, amazed to find so many elves. At least twenty five. "I'm so glad I thought to duplicate the amount of socks several times!" she thought aloud. Silwen unwrapped her cloak, letting the socks fall to the ground, only to be Charmed to levitate up and in front of every single elf. "As a member of this household, I'm giving you socks. Go now to the location on the parchment one of you is holding. Before he—"

BAM. The kitchen doors flew open, smashing into the walls. "NO!" he shouted, his face crimson in anger, but the freed elves had already Disaparated from the mansion. Livid, he turned to Silwen, slapping her violently across the cheek, leaving a temporary brand. Silently, she slid to the floor and sat on the cold tiles, resting her head on the white wall. "_Cru_—"

"Are you really going to Crucio me on our honeymoon, Draco?" she whispered, cutting him off. She closed her eyes, smiling faintly. _I did it,_ she thought triumphantly. Waiting for her retribution, she brought her knees up to her chest and curled her arms around them. She listened to Draco's heated breathing simmer down as he regained control of his temper.

"How dare you free my family's slaves? How dare you insult us?" he hissed, his temper not fully in check. His fury returned quickly when Silwen didn't answer, her smile resting on her lips. Viciously, he kicked her hard in the side, watching her keel over to the ground, letting go of her legs and simply curling into a fetal position in a whimper. "How _dare_ you?" he said in a low voice, filled with menace. "Answer me." Draco planted his foot on top of her calf and pressed down, putting all his weight on her leg until,

"Stop! I-I'll a-answer."

The pressure relented, but he kept his foot there. "I'm waiting," he spat, crossing his arms in front of his chest and glaring down at her.

"I-I dared b-because you dared t-to t-treat them like s-scum. How d-dare you do that to t-them? They m-may not be h-human, b-but they are p-people and should b-be treated a-as such," she whispered, keeping her eyes closed.

Irate, Draco knelt down and stuck her again on the cheek, his mood alleviating when Silwen yelped and blindly tried to scoot out of his reach, backing up against a counter. She had cornered herself.

"Open your eyes, _Sil_. I want to look at them." To his surprise, she stuck out her tongue and tightly scrunched up her eyes.

Chuckling at her expression yet still rather annoyed, he snapped, "Stop it. You're acting like a savage child."

"No."

Draco crawled towards her, sitting down next to her, trapping her between the counter, himself. He took several deep breaths and emptied his mind, finally calming down. "How much energy are you using to simply hold that face?"

"Lots. Shut up, Draco and leave me_ alone_."

"Not until you open your pretty green eyes," he said in a soft snarl, his hand taking one of hers and massaging it with the two of his.

Her eyes flashed open, and abruptly, she stood up, reaching desperately for the door.

Anticipating this, Draco rose as well, managing to slip in front of her and block the door from her. "I wasn't finished, Sil. Sit. Back. Down," he ordered. However Silwen stood there, fighting the urge to bend her knees. For a moment, Draco left the door and went behind her, giving the back of her legs a well aimed prod, forcing her knees to collapse and her to fall. Gracefully, his arms caught her before a hair touched the ground and held her in his arms. "Don't move out of my arms."

She glared at him for a moment, struggling against his arms around her and her promise to obey. However, after five seconds, her eyes dimmed and she went limp in his arms, giving up. _Silwen two, Draco one_, she thought, staring at the turned over pots and pans, a tear trickling out of her eye.

Standing up, still carrying her, Draco left the kitchen and strode into the parlor, putting her down on a sofa and sitting on its edge near her face to prevent her escape. Delicately, he stroked her cheek with a silky soft finger, cooing, "It doesn't have to be like this, Sil. You could be happy with me."

She closed her eyes again, however not before he saw the instinctive terror, and turned away from him, trying to nestle into the cushions, wrapping her hands around her torso, her fingers peeking at him on her side. "Liar," came her muffled reply.

"Shh, Silly," murmured Draco, switching to massaging her back, sighing at how hard her muscles were under his touch. They went on in near silence for a while, Silwen letting out a sob every so often or a muffled cry as he poked, prodded, and soothed her back. Draco didn't stop when she trembled like a frightened mouse, nor when she let out her pitiful pleas for him to cease. "Shh...Quiet, little mouse.." And despite her fear, despite the fact that it was Draco Malfoy, Silwen was lulled into a tepid state of semi-consciousness, relaxing her muscles, letting air through more smoothly.

Whoosh, came an owl, shattering the mood. Instantly, Silwen lept off the couch and bounded clumsily towards the owl, noticing the extremely large package it was carrying, wrapped in protective brown parchment with a note attached.

She grabbed the note and smiled. A genuine one with both ends turned up. "Purchase: ten dress robes. Price: 100 galleons, all ready paid for." Her smile vanished upon hearing a loud CRACK and a squeaky voice saying,

"Master Malfoy, Miss Silwen's robes have arrived."

Dobby.

"DOB!—" began Silwen in a shout, running towards the voice, smothered by a hand over her mouth, another one at her waist, dragging her back.

Something sharp pressed against the small of her back. "_Silencio_," whispered Draco, holding her against his torso, keeping her hands constricted and in front of her. "You aren't going to pick pocket me again."

_No. Not Dobby._ In attempt to loosen his grip, Silwen stomped on his foot, digging her heel in his shoe, pleased to hear a grunt of pain but disappointed to feel his arms tighten over her mouth and waist.

"Start on lunch,_ Elf_!" yelled Draco towards the hall. "If I don't have something edible in front of my eyes in ten minutes, you will stick both your arms in a basin of boiling water for a minute!"

"As for you, _darling_. I'm going to let go of you and you are going to straight to your room and put one of your new robes on. Then you will come right back here as soon as you are finished. Promise you will do this? I will not let go of you until I feel you nod."

Silwen nodded, and when Draco released her, she grabbed the robes and ran upstairs, entering the first room she could find and changed out of her old robes and into her new ones quickly, not daring to test Draco's patience. However, she did take a moment to examine herself in the body-length vanity mirror on the wall, astonished at the transformation that a simple _robes_ made to her appearance.

Made out of a deep green silk, they gave her skinny frame a soft look, softening her torso, subtly punctuating her curves, and showing off her ivory skin as well as bringing out the color of her eyes, even working well with her obsidian curls. Best of all, the fabric was layered and thick. After so many years of shivering in second-hand robes, she had something warm.


	7. Confessional

Finished with getting herself changed, she descended the steps and spotted Dobby. Silwen rushed over to him, rapidly taking off her single sock. Trusting it into his trembling hands, she pointed at him then pointed at the door, her signal clear: GO. Dobby nodded with a huge smile, his eyes filled with grateful tears.

"Dobby will come back and help Silwen!" he said determinedly before leaving with a loud CRACK.

The parlor doors slammed open, moments after the crack. Infuriated, Draco stood in the doorway, glaring at her, trembling. "The Dark Lord will be informed of your insubordinate behavior, Silly, if you don't stop," he snarled quietly, clenching his wand at his side.

"Can't you control me, Draco?" she said, knowing she'd regret it. _But I'd rather face him than the Dark Lord_...At that thought, Silwen shuddered to think of Voldemort himself being asked to come and...discipline her. Voldemort wouldn't hesitate to use the Cruciatus Cruse, to cut her skin open...Again, she shuddered as old memories came fresh into her mind. Voldemort could be very cruel if things didn't go as planned. Like after the annihilation of the Order. Even if the Order _was_ vanquished, Silwen had paid dearly for merely attempting to save them...

_CRACK. CRACK, and many more CRACKs fill the air as I watch the entire Order of the Phoenix appear, running towards me."It's a trap!" I shriek, my eyes filling with tears, knowing they'll all be dead in seconds. I even try to help them, casting every spell I know at the Death Eaters. But there's too many of them. Too many to fight...A Stunning Spell hits me from the back and I am ashamed to say I fell onto a rock, knocking myself unconscious until the battle was finished. I awoke to the pain of the Cruciatus Curse—my punishment..._

Blinking furiously, the memory finished and Silwen was brought her focus back to her husband. Who was speaking.

"...I'd rather you associated punishment with someone else,_ dear_, and associated me with relieving you of that pain."

She stared in horror at him, and turned around, heading outside, freezing when Draco's fingers wrapped around her wrist and sharply turned her around again. "Why, Sil? Why try and stop this? It's already too late. _Potter_ is dead. The Order massacred. But you're still fighting."

"Because where there's one, there can be a second one," she whispered, trying in vain to pry his fingers off with her own. "P-please, l-let go."

"Why?" he murmured, pulling her to his chest, his hand moving from her wrist, circling around her like his other hand. They kept her prisoner there, hugging her around her back. To his irritation, Silwen kept her mouth shut, pushing away from him. Small, circular patches of wet soaking into his robes. "Shh," he said softly, constricting her movement, keeping her hands squashed between her upper and his lower chest. "Why should I let go of you?"

Again, she remained silent, trembling. He looked down at her, smirked at her lips shut tightly between her teeth, her eyes closed, face pointing down. One of his hands left her back, moving to her cheek and gently guided it upward, his smirk growing when here eyes opened, shining in fear. "I'm waiting, Silly," he reminded her in a subtle growl.

"L-let m-me go a-and I'll tell y-you," she stuttered, flinching as his thumb stroked her lips.

Chuckling, Draco dropped his arm from her back and hand from her face, even taking a step away to give her space. "Well, Sil?"

"W-when I was f-five, a-a group of m-muggle children c-caught m-me practicing a s-spell outside. W-when I wouldn't d-do it a-again, th-they surrounded m-me and b-began to h-hurt me...Badly." She walked to the stairs and sat on the lowest one, running a shaking hand through her hair. "I-I'd be d-dead if my u-uncle hadn't found me w-when he d-did..."

Draco stared at her, his eyes narrowed. Using his limited skills of Legilimency, he saw the memory rise up as she spoke, confirming her story. So. Childhood trauma. "Maybe I should start healing you then," he whispered, walking to over and sitting down next to her, offering Silwen his hand. She scooted up a step, clutching her own hands in her lap, staring at him, unsure.

"What do you mean?"

"I meant exactly what I said. I'm going to help you...recover from the psychological damage. I'm getting the feeling you're leaving part of your story out. The children alone couldn't have inflicted that much. Tell me the rest. Or I'll start repairing you now."

Stifling a small shriek, she jumped to another stair, and answered Draco softly. "My uncle is very strict. Like you saw when he became headmaster. Whippings, the Cruciatus Curse, floggings..." her eyes closed for a moment then she went on, "Uncle Snape was never kind when I preformed a spell incorrectly, added a wrong ingredient to a potion I was practicing...His hand was quick to strike, quick to reprimand...I healed myself quickly with simple spells or going to the Hospital Wing, but nothing helped my mind recover..." Her knees rose into her chest, her fingers clutching them there as she bent herself into a ball, trying to repress the memories and replace them with happier ones. Ones of Severus praising her correct potions, having her demonstrate nonverbal spells when he taught DADA.

"You really let them get to you," he said pensively, staring into his own hands. "Your uncle, the _muggles_."

"And _you_ now, too. Out of everyone I knew, the only one who I thought might understand me...You've turned into your father," replied Silwen quietly, crying out when Draco stood up and angrily slapped Silwen across her face, causing her to fall back against the stairs.

"How do you know about that?" he hissed crouching beside her, grabbing a fistful of curls and yanking her hair back. "How do you know?"

Tears crawling out of her eyes, Silwen said in a cracking voice, "A-all it took w-were exp-perienced eyes t-to notice the b-bruises and c-cuts a-at the beginning of e-every s-school from o-our fifth year and a-after the h-holidays. I-I know because I w-went t-through m-much of the s-same treatment..."

As if electrified, Draco let go of her. "Did anyone else notice?" he asked harshly.

"N-naturally t-they noticed. B-but th-they didn't kn-now what the i-injuries m-meant. B-but s-somehow you fooled t-the teachers well, i-if you wanted to know. O-or my uncle ordered t-them n-not to," she whispered, putting her face in her hands.

Silently, Draco stood up, his feet pattered down the stairs and echoing across the hallway, walking across the floor and retreating into the library, making no noise as he closed the doors.

Silwen looked up, taking a shaky breaths to calm herself and slowly rose to her feet, using the banister for balance.

CRACK. "I have returned! Dobby will stay here and help Miss Silwen be happy!" said Dobby, Apparating inside the mansion in front of Silwen, causing her to yelp in shock. "Dobby promises to stay!"

Crying, she knelt down to be at his level and wrapped her arms around Dobby in a hug, her head lying on his bony shoulder. "P-p-please, Dobby. P-please s-stay h-here." Skinny arms wrapped around her and he replied staunchly, "Dobby _never_ breaks his promises, Miss! _Never_! Dobby will not leave Miss Silwen unless Silwen leaves with Dobby!" Silwen nodded into his shoulder then let go and stood up, wiping her tears off with her sleeve. _Draco will be furious when he sees that._ She smiled and walked down the stairs.

"Dobby, c-can you teach me h-how to make c-carrot cake?"


	8. Love's Labors

Looking up at her, Dobby nodded, eyes bright with spontaneous joy. "Yes, Miss, yes! Follow Dobby into the kitchen and we will make a carrot cake!"

Smiling back at him Silwen walked with the excited elf into the kitchen and waited for more instructions.

"Does Silwen want to help Dobby? Or would Miss prefer to watch?" he asked, his feet pattering over the floor gathering flour, pots, bowls, pre-shredded carrots, milk, eggs, whisks and other various ingredients and devices needed to make the desired cake.

"I-I'd actually l-like to do it m-myself with your h-help. I-is that ok?" she stood by a table near the ingredients, giving Dobby a hesitant glance.

"Yes, Dobby can help you bake! Does Miss want to learn other things next?" he replied energetically, hopping up and down.

"If i-it's not too much to ask..."

"No, never!" he squeaked, "first, turn the oven on to 176° C." Dobby twiddled with his hands while Silwen turned the oven's knob to the desired temperature then turned to Dobby expectantly. "Now in this bowl put in 200 grams of sugar, 256 grams of oil and stir, stir, stir!"

Flustered, Silwen hurried to measure and mix the sugar and oil, a small layer of sweat appearing when Dobby had her stop and add two eggs. "Dobby can help stir, Miss! Dobby is used to stirring things fast."

"No, no, I-I'm having fun!" said Silwen, grinning at him, watching him jump up down. "But could you give the directions a bit more slowly?"

"Yes, Dobby can! Has Miss finished mixing? Let Dobby see!" the elf said, scrambling up onto a table top. He peered into the bowl, stuck a finger in to feel the texture and said, "Perfect! Now, put in 250g of flour, six grams of cinnamon, and four grams of salt! Then mix more!"

She carefully measured out the ingredients, and under the elf's encouragement, she mixed the flour, salt and cinnamon together, turning the pasty dough into a beautiful rich brown, to Dobby's delight. "You is doing a great job, Miss Snape! Now to finish, fold in 384 grams of shredded carrots and...122 grams of chopped walnuts! Then yous is finished and Dobby will bake and decorate it!"

Reaching for the chopped walnuts and pouring in 122 grams, with 384 grams of carrots, she folded the last of the ingredients into the dough. That finished, she poured the dough itself into a buttered pan (done by Dobby), and triumphantly laid the pan inside the oven.

"You did it! Miss can bake! Miss can bake well!"

Silwen blushed and walked out of the kitchen, thanking him as she left.

"_Baking_ lessons? _My_ wife taking baking lessons from a_ House Elf_? What is this world coming to?" came a drawl from the library corridor.

"Yes, yes, something better, I hope," she replied, walking upstairs without a glance in his direction.

Her feet walked her through a pair of French doors at the end of and onto a balcony facing the ocean with a wooden porch swing resting peacefully on the planked floor. Down below, the beach's shells seemed to glow in the fading light, and the ocean waves rolling over the sand, shells, and older waves lulling the entire lagoon into a safe slumber. Silwen sat down on the swing, rocking to and fro in rhythm with the waves. Warm air blanketed her, wrapping its tendrils around her body._ I could stay here for eternity._

"I thought I'd find you here," said Draco smugly, taking a seat beside her. "This light is beautiful on your skin."

Silwen stiffened, not saying anything, eyes fixed on the horizon. His smooth, unbroken skin brushed hers, his fingers tracing lightly over her hands in circles. "I'm beginning to suspect you do not want to heal your emotional scars. Am I right?" he asked.

"Ye-n...I don't know," she whispered, drawing her hands in her lap. "W-why the sudden interest?"

"I want to help you, Sil," he said easily, putting his arm around the bench's and Silwen's backs. "I want your scars to heal completely."

"I don't believe you."

"Why?"

Scooting over to the bench's far side, she said, "You've never given me reason to."

Draco smirked, shadowing her to the side. "That is true...What if I apologized? Would that help?"

She shook her head, and walked over to the balcony's railing, leaning over it, wishing the sea wind would take her in its folds and carry her off. But that was all she did. Wish.

"What would help?" breathed Draco at the nape of her neck, "Would this?" he asked, taking her hips and turning her swiftly around to face him.

Before she could scurry out of his arms, they placed themselves on either side of her, leaning on the railing as his face came towards her, stopping a mere centimeter in front of her.

She blanched, struggling to get out of his makeshift cage. "NO! DON'T! Plea-"

He leered at Silwen and pressed his lips against hers. One of his hands curled around her waist, pressing her against him, the other moving to her head, holding it there. Her eyes instantly dilated, and her hands striking his chest and scratching his arms. Draco simply held her more tightly to his body, one hand moving to caress her cheek.

She closed her eyes, wrenching her head sideways, evading his lips on hers. Draco laughed quietly, his lips curving into a cruel smile against her cheek. "I'm not quite finished," he said, bringing her lips to his once more, his torso pressing against her chest for a moment then drawing away again to take a small breath. "S-sto-" she began but he cut her off, his hand on her waist moving up to her other cheek. _ Now! I-I can do this._ With a last gust of effort, Silwen brought her heel down desperately on Draco's shoes.

Instinctively, Draco let go of her and Silwen fled inside, running down the hall and into the nearest bathroom, locking it with trembling fingers.

"Nononononononononono..." Silwen slid to the floor, her back against the door. Scared tears coursed down her cheeks, dripping onto her new robes. Her muscles clenched inside her, making it nearly impossible to get a solid breath in between the sobs. Over and over and over again, she feverishly rubbed her lips, trying to erase the awful memory from existence. "N-never ag-gain!"

Concentrating on taking deep breaths, Silwen shakily stood up, grabbed a towel, and drenched it in the sink with scalding water and soap. She scrubbed her face all over until she felt clean enough and dropped to the floor, curling into a ball, gasping in alarm when knuckles knocked on her door five minutes later.

"Miss Snape! The cake is done!" came a squeak. "Dobby has decorated it for you!"

Silwen stood up and opened the door, slamming it shut once she peeked outside, seeing a flash of white-blond hair.

"Come out, dearest. We have visitors."

Too frightened to fight the pull of his orders, she opened the door and stepped outside.

"Accompany me downstairs and stay at my side. I promise to behave," he said, offering her his arm. "No more fear. If you have any, I forbid you from showing it. You're a Malfoy now, and you will start acting like one or my kisses will be the least of your worries. Understood?"

Taking his arm, Silwen nodded, a mask of pleasant surprise forming on her features.

"You always did learn quickly," he said, patting her arm with his free hand, walking to the parlor. He pushed the doors open and bowed. "Father! Severus! To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Mr. Malfoy, Uncle," said Silwen dipping her head, following her husband in greeting their guests, a dead look in her eyes. To the side of Severus, flaming red caught her eye. Lily Potter. Her eyes met Silwen's, bright. Lively. Defiant.

"The Dark Lord has news for you, my son. It is best we talk of this between the three of us."

"Of course, Father," said Draco. He looked at Silwen. "Take the slave into the kitchen. Stay with her in there until one of us comes to fetch you."

Silwen left her husband's side and walked over to Lily. "I-if you'll f-follow me," she said, stumbling out of the room and to the kitchen, eyes trained on the ground.


	9. (Author's Note)

This story is on hiatus. I am so sorry!


	10. A Reason for Optimism

Author's note: My story isn't a Snily. I'm sorry if that was what you are looking for! It does have Snape in love with Lily, but Lily loves James even if James died. My favorite thing about Severus is the fact that he never got Lily, that JKR was brave enough to let Snape not get Lily; it's a crucial plot point, a crucial thing because it's Lily's death that changes his heart and makes him switch to Dumbledore's side. That's the end of my rant. Feel free to disagree with my opinion.

* * *

"How are you?" asked Lily kindly once they had reached the kitchen.

Offering her a chair and pulling one up for herself, Silwen said, "I'm having a hard time."

Lily sat down. "The beginning is always hard. But things get better, I promise."

"When?"

"It takes a while. You have to be patient."

"C-can I just run away?"

"You could, but your problems won't disappear."

"Have you even tried running away?"

"No, I haven't but-"

"Then how can you know?"

"I've seen others run from their problems. They ended up dead."

"What if I-I'd rather be dead than live like this?"

"You learn to find hope in what you can." Lily was a Gryffindor. Brave. An adult who knew how to handle her situation after years. _I'm just a scared girl with a curse._

"In _what_?"

Lily smiled softly. "Hope. I'm working with your uncle. And I'm hoping that I can convince him to switch sides."

"C-change my uncle's loyalty? I don't think that's e-even possible."

"I'm going to try. Already he has been kinder to me than the Dark Lord ever was. For kindness to be given, there must be humanity behind it and I'm going to bring back Severus Snape's humanity or die trying."

"W-why would you say that-let alone_ do_ that?"

"I have nothing left to lose. My husband died nineteen years ago and Harry last May. I might as well do something now with nothing to risk except my own neck."

"I won't try to persuade you if you're really sure about this, b-but know that my uncle's fury can be almost equal to the Dark Lord's if he finds out what you are trying to do," Silwen whispered.

"I know that. We were friends for most of our school years and for a long time before. His anger is a risk I'm willing to take."

Silwen nodded and looked and looked away for a moment to a far off counter and spied Dobby and her carrot creation."Er, would you like some cake?" She walked over and admired the way the frosting looked like icy mountain peaks towering over snow-covered valleys. _Lovely. I hope it tastes as good as it looks._

Lily walked over, her smile growing.

"Can you cut the cake into pieces? T-the counter is rather tall for me."

Nodding, Lily took the knife and cut the cake into even pieces, and watched as carrot and cinnamon steam wafted from the cake. "That smells delicious."

Once they both had a slice on a silver plate and were sitting down again, Silwen asked in between bites, "Where do you get your courage from?"

"From hope. From believing that my life can be better if I do something about it."

"In other words, optimism?"

Lily nodded while taking a large forkful of cake. "Try to find something to be happy about. One thing really can make all the difference."

"What if Draco finds out?"

"Finds out what?" The door opened, revealing Draco smirking in the doorway.

"Nothing of importance," Lily responded, rising to her feet. "I gather Master Snape is leaving?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, slave. Go back to the parlor." He looked at Silwen, who had gone over to where the cake was and held out his hand. "Come say goodbye with me."

She nodded and walked over, a small package in her left hand. With a small tremor, Silwen took his arm and the three of them returned to Lucius and her uncle. As Draco went over to his father, she placed the package in Lily's hands. "I-it's the rest of the cake," Silwen murmured and stepped back to Draco.

"Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon, dear," said Lucius, nodding at her with a smirk. Silwen paled but said nothing in response.

"Goodbye, Father. I will see you soon," said Draco. "Thank you, Severus for your offer and I think it is a perfect idea." His arm tightened as he looked at her uncle.

Severus gave a curt nod to Draco and his niece then motioned for Lily to follow him and Lucius. "I will see the both of you two Mondays from now for training. I will _not_ tolerate lateness."

Lucius gave a small chuckle. "They aren't in school anymore, Severus."

"Eight o'clock after you have eaten dinner," Snape snapped, stalking out of the room, Lily following silently behind side and Lucius quickly walking at to keep up.

"We will see ourselves out, Draco," Lucius called.

Draco nodded and led Silwen over to the sofa. "Shall we continue where we left off before they came?"

She stared at him, eyes wide. "_Never_." Instantly, she was on her feet, walking rapidly away from him.

"Don't be like that, Sil. What would change your mind?"

She pursed her lips together and pushed desperately on the handles. Locked. _Alohomora_, she thought pointing her wand at the keyhole. She tried again. It remained shut. With a frightened expression, Silwen turned to face him, and found Draco still lounging on the sofa, watching her with his natural smirk. Her eyes flicked to the large windows that had a magnificent view of the ocean. _They're open._

"Anything?"

"No." Quickly, she walked over to the window and looked down. Five feet drop or so._ How far would I get before he caught me?_

"Don't jump out."

"Fine." With a small smirk of her own, she fetched a chair's footstool and stood on it, leaning out as far as she could.

"What are you-" he began, but stopped and watched, incredulous as she leaned over more and fell out of the window. "Idiot." Draco ran to the window, only to see her off and running towards the beach. "She won't be running for long." He jumped out the window, launching far and landing with the help of a Balance Charm, and took off after her.

Silwen grinned from her hiding spot under the window, watching her husband chase an illusion of herself to the water. "Idiot." Humming a lullaby slightly off tune, she used a modified version of the Levicorpus spell and floated back into the parlor through the window. "Thank heavens he never looked back." Another point in her favor. It was childish to keep score like this, however it diverted her attention from the awful memory that had happened just half an hour before. "I've always wondered what the Malfoy's library is like. I think I'll take the chance now and see."

After having found Dobby back in the kitchens and asking where the library was, she found it easily enough and started roaming through the books. _Mudbloods, purebloods, dark arts, Slytherin, Grindlewald-surely they must have more than this._ Her fingers stopped every so often when they met potion books, putting them back when they all described poisonous potions. Silwen's eyes drifted till she found something that spiked her interest, a book about kelpie migrations. Fascinated, she walked over to a large carpet in and plopped on her stomach, immediately opening the book and beginning to read, happily forgetting about everything that had happened that morning.

She didn't notice the door open quietly and a pair of shoes walk over to her then around the shelves to find a book and once having chosen one lie down beside her. She didn't hear the carpet ruffle as he adjusted himself comfortably, nor his fingers turn through the book's pages. But she felt him move closer to her so their sides were connected.

"Don't move away from me."

Tensing, Silwen stayed where she was, her eyes suddenly forgetting how to read, not daring to look away from the page.

"I thought we might read together for a while. I promise to keep my hands to myself."

_What is he doing? _Draco simply didn't forgive without some retribution first. Especially when playing with her. She refocused on her book. "The kelpie usually migrate from East to West and back, depending on the season, preferring to keep to cooler temperatures. However, it has been recorded that a rare Sallio Kelpies prefer warmer, even salty water and keep to their habitats all year long..."

A hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her tightly against his side. "Don't. Move."

She kept on reading. "The kelpie usually migrate from East to West and back, depending on the season..." Fingers thrummed gently over her ribs. "The kelpie usually migrate from East to West." She couldn't. Not with him so near. Yet she couldn't get out of his arm.

"In this moment, what do you want more than anything?" he asked, his fingers now making slow deliberate circles in the same place.

"T-to read alone."

"All right. I will let you read alone if you give me a kiss."

"N-now?"

"Or tonight. But if you wait till then, it might grow to something a bit more heated." He smiled when he saw her expression. Really, her fear never grew old; Silwen never learned to recognize a joke when she heard one. Of course, that was only half a joke and half meant.

"I-I'll give you one now." She closed her eyes and pressed her lips on his cheek for half a moment and withdrew, hiding her face behind her book. "D-done."

"That's cheating."

"Not really. You said kiss. I gave you one."

Draco switched from lying on his stomach to his side and drew her in closer with both of his arms so she was pressed against his chest, making her lie on her side as well. "Fine. Then I'll let you have half of your promise."

Silwen's legs curled up in her chest, her hands clutching the book around them. With his free hand, Draco pried the book out of her fingers.

"I'll read aloud to you on the b-"

"_Sofa_."

"All right, 'sofa,' and you can lay on my lap and rest." He slowly got up, pulling Silwen with him and walked over to a black couch across from his favorite chair and sat down. "I'm only going to read to you, Sil."

Shakily, she nodded and crept onto the thing, letting her head lay on his lap.

"Where were you?"

"S-second page. 'T-the kelpie usually migrate from East to West.' "

"Right." In a slightly louder voice, Draco began to read with one hand holding the book, the other holding her hands surprisingly lightly.

Like when he had given her the massage, she relaxed and listened to him tell her about the exceptional Sallio Kelpies. His voice really could be pleasant, she supposed idly as her eyes began to close.

Before she could fall properly asleep, Draco closed the book and tossed it lightly to the ground. "See?" he said softly, "We can get along. As long as I don't do something to set you off and cowering in the opposite direction."

Silwen avoided his eyes. No. The moment the book closed her fear returned. It wasn't possible, whatever he might say. This whatever-it-was wouldn't last long.

"Do you want to take a nap here while I get lunch ready?"

"No."

" 'No?' "

"Exactly." The hand on top of hers tightened and she tensed.

"What do you want to do instead?"

"Read here alone."

"Not an option. But I can continue reading to you."

She took a deep breath and gave a small nod. Draco reached down, picked the book up and resumed where he left off. The hand over hers relaxed again and its smooth fingers laced themselves through hers. Silwen concentrated on the words, letting them draw her attention from him and smiled. Kelpies were fascinating.


End file.
